Recipe: Chilled Melon, Cucumber, and Coconut Milk Soup

      Chilled Melon, Cucumber and Coconut Milk Soup with Toasted Coconut Garnish  

A Recipe:  Chilled Melon, Cucumber and Coconut Milk Soup with Toasted Coconut Garnish

by Victoria Challancin

This week in my cooking classes for Mexican cooks, we prepared the easiest chilled soup imaginable:  Chilled Melon, Cucumber and Coconut Milk Soup.  Simple, with few ingredients, refreshing, and absolutely begging for re-interpretation, this recipe is a keeper.  When I found the original recipe on Oprah.com, I knew immediately that I wanted to prepare it.  Because I couldn't find low-fat coconut milk here in San Miguel, we used regular full-fat coconut milk--a whole can of it, not 3/4 cup.  While this soup works exactly as given in the recipe, a hint of grated ginger, minced chile, and perhaps even a squeeze of lime juice wouldn't go amiss.

Chilled Melon, Cucumber and Coconut Milk Soup

(Recipe from The Oprah Magazine via Oprah.com)

Serves 4 to 6

Note:  If the melon isn't ripe and sweet, add 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar.

1 honeydew , peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

3/4 cup low-fat coconut milk

1/4 cup shaved unsweetened coconut , lightly toasted

In a blender or a food processor fitted with a knife blade, combine honeydew, cucumber and coconut milk; puree until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Top with toasted coconut before serving.